The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County is a non-profit charitable organization based in Chester County, PA. Our mission is to ensure the perpetual preservation and stewardship of open space, natural resources, historic sites, and working agricultural lands throughout southern Chester County.

Add your email address to get all of our recent blog posts

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Tips for National Invasive Species Awareness week

Tomorrow begins National Invasive Species Awareness Week which is a great platform for engaging people who are unaware of invasive species and the ecological harm that they cause. There is no agreed upon definition of an invasive species but it can be defined as an organism (plant, fungi, animal, or bacteria) that can out compete native flora and fauna and has negative effects environmentally, economically, and to our health. **The debate is whether only alien species can be considered invasive or can a native species be considered invasive.
In many instances, the invasive species will create a monoculture--like this picture of Persicaria perfoliata (or Mile a Minute). Once a monoculture is created, it is difficult for the native species to survive--in the case of plants, the invasive monoculture is typically one that is not predated upon by any of our native fauna further compounding the problem. The plant has no native predator so it flourishes while choking out essential plants used as food for our native fauna. Throughout the week, I'll post invasive control methods for specific plants. TLC is also happy to schedule a time to meet with you to identify and discuss the invasive species specific to your property. Schedule a Landscape Visionaries Invasive Control session today. Don't worry, we'll wait until spring to come out to visit!